new fallout for the man accused of slapping a toddler on an airplane. and speeding through the glass ceiling, the first woman to win the pole position at the daytona 500. what she says about her chances of winning the whole thing. why a google store may be popping up near you. >> packed show for you. we'll talk to lyn st. james. and texas congressman michael berg gnc bergess, quvenzhane wallis and sarah darling, who accidentally passed off her engagement ring to a homeless man who returned it. "starting point" begins right now. good morning, welcome everybody. two big stories we're following this morning. could mean you are paying more

for the basics. food and fuel. a cold freeze could ruin crops in the south. gas prices up for the 32nd day in a row. gas rose 1.6 cents overnight. bringing the new national average to 3.73 a gallon. increases come at a terrible time for millions americans. zain asher at a new york city gas station. drivers must be complaining this morning, zain. >> hi, soledad. drivers understandably upset. a gas station on tenth avenue. the average price of gasoline, 3.73 across the country. this particular gas station, gas prices are a lot higher, 4.15. as i mentioned, u.s. national average, 3.73. in hawaii, california, higher still, the most expensive place to buy gas right now. 4.28. california not far behind. the cheapest place to buy gas, in wyoming, 3.17. as you mentioned, americans

right now spending a lot more money on heating bills, that, of course, means they don't have much money to spare in terms of gas prices, also, we've got taxes going up for a lot of americans. a lot of people seeing paychecks shrink. some taxi drivers, saying they are spending upward of 40, $50, $60 per day. it really is having a huge effect on people. >> what a big mess. thanks, zain appreciate that. jennifer delgado in the weather center this morning with a freeze warning that could spell some serious trouble for florida citrus crops. good morning. >> hi, soledad. the sunshine state needs the sun to come out. temperatures right now still in the mid 20s. we have a hard freeze warning in place anywhere in blue. of course, this is affecting northern and central parts of florida. temperatures as i said have been in the mid 20s. of course, we get temperatures like this. this is dangerous to the veg station, and we'll continue to see these numbers flirting with the mid 20s.

even as we get into about the 8:00 hour. by 9:00 a.m., the hard freeze warning will expire. just to give you an idea of how potentially dangerous this could be for crops there, keep in mind, typically when you have temperatures at 28 degrees or below, start to see is vegetation being injured by that after about four hours of exposure. we'll be watching that. we all love our orange juice, soledad. >> jennifer delgado, seriously bad news. appreciate it. thank you. a tragic end to a talented life. how one country music star is remembering mindy mccready. she died from an apparent suicide. she was plagued by drugs, alcohol. police found the 37-year-old dead at her home in arkansas yesterday. they believe a gunshot wound to her head was self-inflicted. plus, mindy mccready's father of her young son, fiance, died from an apparent suicide. she spoke about that in her last

interview with nbc. >> i have never gone through anything this painful, nor will i ever again go through anything this painful. >> she really struggled. cnn nichelle turner live for us this morning. >> a very talented and troubled life she led. mindy mccready recently was seeking help. checking into rehab earlier this month she appeared with dr. drew on his show, celebrity rehab. as far as he knew, she was trying to get better. he spoke to don lemon last night. >> she had actually been doing very well. things looking up for her. she had children with a boyfriend who ended up killing himself a few weeks ago. she was struggling after that. actually admitted herself to a psychiatric facility. and there is a cautionary tale about the stigma of mental illness and the way the public attacks celebrities who take care of themselves. she became so fierceful of the

stigma and the way people responding to her being hospitalized that she actually checked herself out prematurely and now we have what we have. >> at the heart of mccready's struggle, she leaves two kids without their mother. 6 years old and 10 months old. that's the heart-breaking aspect to the tragedy. soledad, mccready made a lot of public declarations about her life. and last year on a website dedicated to fans, she said i've been beaten, sued, robbed, arrested, jailed, and evicted. but i'm still here. i'm a fighter, but i'll never be out. sadly, yesterday it ended. >> a rough time and a lot of struggle. we have a look back at mindy mccready's life. thank you. and major developments in the case of oscar pistorius, the runner charged with murdering his girlfriend. reeva steenkamp shot four times through a bathroom door. pistorius' home. and he carried her downstairs

while she was still alive. we've also learned that pistorius has been forced to bow out of five races that he's been scheduled to participate in this year. robyn curnow live with the latest. food morning. >> good morning. it just gets sadder and sadder, the more we learn about what happened early on valentine's day morning. another bit of information that this official told cnn, reeva was there at oscar's house to spend the night with her boyfriend. they found an overnight bag and herridge pad on the floor. also, a really strange twist, an eerie twist perhaps. she was seen and heard on south africa's television screens this weekend. just days after being shot and killed at the home of her boyfriend, olympian oscar pistorius, reeva skein camp appeared on south african television. >> you fall in love of being in love, with love. >> this is how her reality show

began on saturday. bit while her television debut aired, her boyfriend, trouble amputee and olympic athlete, spent the weekend in this jail. prosecutors plan to charge poise truous with murder. a charge strongly rejected by pistorius and his family. this is his uncle and his sister. >> our entire family is devastated. we're in a state of total shock. they had plans together and oscar was happy in his private life than i've seen him in a long time. >> reporter: investigators who are combing through his house in the high-security complex are starting to piece together what they think happened early on valentine's day. cnn told and local media reporting police believe pistori pistorius shot steenkamp four times through a bathroom door and carried her downstairs where

she died. neighbors her shouting before the shooting, but still no solid explanation of why he might have shot her. he appears in court on tuesday for his bail hearing. pistorius is in court, reeva's family says there will be a memorial on tuesday. south africans will be able to watch her beach adventures on a reality show which airs for another nine weeks. producers released this final message from her, meant to be to the cast. but which now becomes her last words. her nasa good-bye. >> i take with me so many amazing memories and things that are in here, that are in here. i will treasurer forever. i'm going to miss you all so much. i love you very, very much. >> oh, dear. imagine you have family and her friends and you watch this, and it's going to be on air for the next nine weeks. some people argue here this reality show continuing to air

this footage of reeva is in poor taste. others say it's just a fitting tribute. back to you. >> and her family supported it as well. thank you. appreciate it. the update on that tremendously complicated case. a two-alarm fire at a recycling company in tampa, florida. they believe a pile of scrap metal caught on fire, but they don't know how. they plan to use foam to put out the flames and later they will use a bulldozer to try to move the scrap metal. we have learned an aerospace executive has been fired after he allegedly slapped a crying toddler on a delta flight from minneapolis to atlanta. the company who employed 60-year-old joe hundley called his behavior offensive and disturbing. the father of jonah bennett says he hopes hundley gets what he deserves. >> the evidence is sufficient enough to support what we're

saying, and we hope he's punished as much as he possibly can bem. >> more in a live report in the bottom of the hour. we'll talk with the attorney for little jonah's parents. also, president hugga chavez returns to venezuela from cuba, where he underwent cancer treatment. he will continue treatment in venezuela. the type of cancer he is battling has not been revealed. danica patrick going where no female nascar driver has ever gone before. she beat the men to win the pole position at next sunday's daytona 500. this is their super bowl of nascar racing. patrick, the first woman no secure the top spot for any race in nascar's premiere circuit. the sprint cup series. joe carter is live in atlanta with more on this truly historic achievement. >> yeah, what a milestone yesterday, john, for the sport of nascar and for women out there. danica patrick has got to be happy. very proud, and also relieved. because yesterday she had to wait over two hours to secure

that pole win. she went out eighth out of 43 cars. 35 cars had to qualify after her, it took a while for her to find out she was making history. we've seen her make racing history before, but not like this. to be the first woman to secure the top spot in nascar's premiere race, is by far the big 'chooechlt in her stock car career. she addressed that last night on cnn's don lemon show. >> i think understanding the scope of what that means and what that will end up meaning, or if anything, is something that happens down the road, in the moment, it's about thinking about what i need to do for next sunday and trying to make some more history. >> and while this helps her, obviously on sunday, it does not guarantee her any sort of win. 13 years since somebody won the pole at the daytona 500 and the race itself. it does help her, but doesn't give it to her. >> historic achievement. her car so fast all weekend, a

lot of people talking about that this morning. our hat's off to danica patrick. >> more on danica's history-making run. lyn st. james, a former racer and mentor to danica. and business news. >> bimillions of federal worker are facing furloughs will congress come back to work and save the day? have a moment all. well, almost. splenda® no calorie sweetener. splenda® makes the moment yours™. your doctor will say get smart about your weight. i tried weight loss plans... but their shakes aren't always made for people with diabetes.

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returning to one of our top stories this morning, danica patrick goipat becomes the first woman to win the pole position. lyn st. james, the 1992 indianapolis 500 rookie of the year, the first woman to win that award. thank you for talking us with. >> thank you. it's great. >> i appreciate that. listen, are you obviously a trailblazer, when you look at this historic moment for danica patrick, what do you think?

>> well, first of all, i'm incredibly proud and happy for her. i've known her a long time and i know what a racer she is. she this is huge for her. a great milestone for all women, not just women in sports and not just women in racing. it's one of the only sports that men and women actually compete equally. not many sports are like that. and i think it reflects society, because women are just making such great inroads, but we need reminders that if given an opportunity, given the right equipment, given the right skill, opportunity, and support, that women are very capable and so we need reminders of that. that's what she's doing. here is what she said about understanding she is making history. listen. >> i think understanding the scope of what that means and what that will end up meaning is -- or if any, is something that happens down the road. in moment, it's about thinking about what i need to do for next

sunday and trying to make more history. >> she said you were her role model and you've been a mentor to her. what have you been able to i guess give to her that maybe you didn't get a generation ahead of time? >> well, back when she was 14 and she came, i had a program, and i've been doing it for 17 years, helping young up and coming drivers, it's more about the skills that you don't realize you have to have. we always focus on being in the race car and doing that job and learning about the technology and all the engineering aspect of it, you about the outside of the cockpit to learn how to deal with the media, about, you know, all of the sort of outside of the things that nobody tells you. physical fitness. she's incredibly fit and all of those are things i talked about. and to really understand who you are, because you will get pulled a lot of different directions and the more successful you are, the more people will influence you and want from you. and it's important to have a grounded sense of who you are. and that really hit home with

her. >> i remember looking at a shot of jeff gordon's daughter, clamoring to take a picture of dan yak patrick. and i thought i wonder what the impact is on the next generation of little girls who look at her as their role model what do you think? >> we're in the 41st year of the anniversary of title nine. and it takes generations before things really start to have the ripple effect. and i -- she doesn't understand right now what effect she's having and that's okay. because she's focused on getting the job done, bought there is going to be -- the next generation coming up will have i think a much different view of what women can do than let's say my generation and even danica's now. my daughter is the same age as danica, you know, so i really get a reflection of that, not only from her, but also from my daughter. >> my daughters are the same age as jeff gordon's daughters. it's so excited to see how excited they are. thank you for being with us.

>> thank you. cheer for her next sunday. >> absolutely. we will. president obama hit the links with tiger woods. nobody was really allowed to see it, though. there was a press blackout. we'll talk about that, straight ahead. watching "starting point." back in just a moment. [ lorenzo ] i'm lorenzo.

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welcome back to "starting point." minding your business. market is closed for president's day. the s & p 500, on a seven-week winning streak. up 10% over the past three months. that's good. solid start to 2013. a lot of important economic data. we'll get consumer and producer prices. taking home less pay because the payroll tax break expired. now the dreaded sequester. a controller for the office of management and budget said that it won't happen after march 1st. and federal employees must get a

30-day notice before furloughs and unions will have a big part of determining how and when those furloughs will happen. 2.1 million less people with spending power, not good. google is planning to open standalone retail shops and will give google an opportunity to sell directly to consumers. the flagship stores would reportedly open in time for the holidays. still awaiting official confirmation. >> it wouldn't be 9:00 to 5:00, right? they won't be able to make a single sale. they have to compete with everybody. that's interesting. former congressman connie mack back with us. richard soccarides, ron brownstein. nice to have you all with us. how do you feel about president obama playing golf with tiger woods?

>> i wonder if tiger played lefty. >> you might be saying where are the photos of said golf outing? there are none. the two men met back in 2009. they vowed to play a round of golf. just a month before the sex scandal broke. the first lady decided to take the first daughters skiing in colorado. >> she was away. the president hit the links in palm city, florida. houston astros owner jim crane as well and the outgoing u.s. trade rep ron kirk joining the foursome. >> the type of thing, the president must have really, really wanted to play golf with tiger woods. i'm sure nobody on the white house staff thought it was a good idea and probably tried to maneuver around it. and that's why they didn't have pictures, the staff didn't want prick tou pictures. >> is that the moment where the president said, if you are so

smart, why am i president? >> the administration talks about transparency. a lot of angry white house correspondents because they wanted to see photos of this outing. >> let him play golf. really? i'm sorry. >> i have no dog in the fight. i just ask the questions. >> if you want to play golf and don't want the press there? who cares. >> it shows there is kind of a new obama. another side of new obama. he's going to do what he wants, both in the way he conduct himself and also on a lot of policy stuff. really shown that there is a new boldness to him. he doesn't care what a lot of people think. he's not running for re-election. >> the most famous wrong thing said about america, f. scott fitzgerald said there are only second acts in american life. this is -- this is the twa goes. >> and there is soist said. >> president obama's immigration plan leaked over the weekend. we'll talk about republicans not

very happy about that. the bipartisan proposal already been discussed. now dead in the water? we'll talk to republican michael burgess straight ahead about that. and remember marco rubio needing a drink of water? we predicted it would be spoofed on "snl." it was. that ahead. back in a moment. helping yout your retirement plan along the way. rethink how you're invested. and refocus as your career moves forward. wherever you are today, a fidelity ira has a wide range of investment choices to help you fine-tune your personal economy. call today and we'll make it easy to move that old 401(k) to a fidelity no-fee ira.

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welcome back, everybody. 7:30 on the east coast. a man accused of slapping a crying toddler on a delta flight is now out of a job. joe hundley is no longer being employed. the parents of the 19-month-old boy are still in shock. renee marsh following the story from washington, d.c. >> fired, that's the word from joe hundley's company. he's the idaho man accused of using a racial slur and slapping

a crying toddler on a delta air lines flight on february 8th. the court documents paint a picture of what allegedly happened on this flight from minneapolis to atlanta. jonah, seated with his mother, started crying as the plane made its dissent because of the altitude change. hundley, seated next to the mother, allegedly told her to shut that "n" word baby up. and then with an open hand slapped the baby, causing him to cry even louder. that's according to the fbi affidavit. take a listen to the mom. >> when i looked at jonah's face, his eye was swolen and bleeding. >> reporter: there were witnesses and the mother said in court documents the man appeared to be intoxicated. so much so, she was forced to leave the seat and stand in back of the plane with her son for

most of the flight. her attorney told the minneapolis star tribune her client will plead not guilty. as for his company, they said that his behavior was "offensive and disturbing." he did work at agc aerospace and defense. the company sells technology and other services to the military and businesses. soledad. >> does he have any kind of a, you know, record in any way? what a crazy story. >> it sure is crazy. we know this about hundley. in 2007, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of assault in virginia. not his first brush with the law. >> not surprising. >> interesting. what a crazy story. you can imagine the shock of these parents. >> we have children. imagine that someone puts their hand on your baby. >> touching your kid at all. touching him and calling him the "n" word.

>> what they should have done. they should have taken that guy and strapped him to a seat somewhere else for the rest of the flight. not only did he put the baby in danger, but the reaction on that plane could have also been horrible, people trying to protect the mother and the baby. i just -- i can't imagine. >> he would not be al live to tell the tale. what a crazy story. >> it makes my blood boil to think someone would put their hands on a little baby. >> is he being crilley prosecuted? >> charged by the fbi with simple assault. we'll talk heard to john thompson, the attorney for the parents to see if they will pursue charges on their own. the couple obviously white. the boy, who is adopted is black. they never really thought they would be dealing with race issues early on. he's 2 years old. >> when in the flight does this happen? >> getting ready to land, so his ears were hurting him, of course. everybody who has had a child on the plane knows that's the most nightmarish time to have a baby.

interesting story. we'll talk to that lawyer, straight ahead. first, john has a look at other stories. two men charged in the death of a chicago woman killed just hours after her sister attended president obama's speech on gun violence. janae out walking with friends and one of them may have been an intended target of the gunman. just hours before, her 14-year-old sister heard the plea to end gun violence. this girl is a freshman at the school where president obama spoke. it could take up to a year to determine what caused the engine fire on the carnival "triumph." the fire began in front of a generator in one of the ship's two engine rooms that left the cruise ship crippled and more than 4,000 people stranded for five difficult, trying days.

scientists have recovered the first fragments in the giant meteor that exploded over russia on friday. pieces were found on the edge of a giant hole of this frozen lake thought to be caused by falling space rock. more than 1,000 people injured when that meteor exploded. just amazing pictures from there. four letters written by john lennon's killer up for sale today. mark david chapman mailed them to the cop who arrested him. he tells steven spiro he hopes they can be friends and that he felt close to the officer ever since his arrest. listen to spiro explain why chapman told him he killed the former beetle back in 1980. >> i spent five hours with him after i arrested him, and he was telling me about all of the phoneiness in the world that all of these rich people don't give to certain charities, that, you know, he would like. three years after this guy killed john lennon, that he

admits that he had a hit list. >> spiro claims chapman's hit list included jackie kennedy onassis, george c. scott. those letters, an asking price of $75,000. "saturday night live" poking fun at senator marco rubio for reaching for the water in the response to the state of the union. >> you can not see? it's never that far away. it's right here. it's back where you were. >> which way? back where you were. and there it is. >> oh, my god! ah! oh, so good. >> the parched throat from participating in a cinnamon

challenge. he says before his national address he ate dry roasted peanuts and beef jerky. which would spin it. >> well, marco rubio gave an 18-minute long speech in spanish right before he delivered the rebuttal. he was parched. >> if you make a donation to his political action committee now, you get a rubio water bottle. >> perfect. >> he really had the best embracing of something that went viral and then trying to lev ran rage it. >> and he did it fast. there was no -- boom. now making money selling water bottles. cute. >> he did a great job in the response overall, and i know marco, and i'm sure he is -- he's a good sport and probably having fun with this. >> they made $100,000 in water bottles. laughing all the way to the bank. >> i thought on the policy he did a horrible job. i don't think anything he said

convinced anybody that the republican economic program would deliver outs of this problem. >> he delivered a speech with very little new in it. >> we'll talk a little bit about immigration today. not talk about state of the union since that has passed. moving forward. that's for up. >> we only get to talk about things in the future. >> no. but today we're going to talk about what i want to talk about. the president's draft of immigration reform. including a path to citizenship. now, senator marco rubio said the plan would be dead on arrival. his fellow republicans not much kinder than that. here is what they said. >> leaking this out does set things in the wrong direction. this is the president torpedoing his own plan and shows me he is really not serious. >> does the president really want a result or another cadre of beatup republicans? >> let's get to michael burgess,

republican from the state of texas. thank you for being with us. >> good morning. >> walk us through leaked plan "b." what do you like about it, if anything. what do you you not like about what's been leaked? >> it reminds me of 2007. remember senator mccain and senator kennedy working on a big plan and they came up with the z visa. as i understand, the president is talking about a legal legal visa for perspective immigrants. the 2007 plan sort of cratered because, look, even back then, congress had an approval rating that was pretty minimal, and nobody believes the congress can do something this competently. to push it out into center stage, he has a history of ignoring people with whom he should be working. constituencies with whom he should be working. think of governors during the affordable care act program.

a good chance for the president to reach out to governors doing a lot in health care, and he never bothered to pick up the phone and do that. so it's -- >> let me interrupt you one second. many times on this program, people are complaining the president doesn't show leadership. not stepping out with a plan. have him do something. literally, specifically on immigration, i've heard that a dozen times and now when he finally has a plan that's leaked and maybe it was a real leak, and maybe it was a fake leak, you get -- everyone is mad that he leaked some plan as you say harkens back to 2007. >> well, no one, of course -- nothing happens in washington by accident. i do believe this may have been an accidental on purpose leak. >> i thought so. >> there was a reason to want to get it out there. but at the same time, you know, this is activity that's going on on the senate side. really not much happening on the house side. we're all focused on debt and deficit and rightfully so and

will be for the next several months, but if the senate were to actually get something done, the house will look at it from what i heard about it, the people talking about the leaks, it makes it less likely to happen. but i wouldn't say it's because the president showed leadership. and you have eight senators working and why not -- why not huddle with them and see what you can work on collaboratively, rather than this go it alone approach? >> good morning, ron brown from "national journal". >> good morning. >> they seem to be moving toward a pathway to citizenship for people here illegally, conditioned on some progress on the border. if the senate passes something like that the key question, would the house? how many house republicans do you think would be willing to accept a pathway to citizenship for people here illegally? >> obviously not my job to count votes in the house. i don't think it would be an

easy trajectory in the house. certainly, not something that -- that i am anxious to see us do. people make a mistake when they think that all hispanics want is to see an amnesty program and then they are going to love republicans again it didn't happen in 1986 or 1988 when george h.w. bush got the same portion of voters after this massi massive amnesty program. 1996, bill clinton legalized 1.3 million people, just -- two months before election day, so they could all vote. it's that sort of activity that, again, forgive me, makes me cynical about the process. >> interesting. all right. congressman michael burgess joining us from the state of texas. republican. thank you for your time. appreciate it. >> thank you.

>> raised interesting point about this leaked or not leaked. collaboration question we've been discussing. >> look, to your point, we want to hear more from the president and what his positions are. and, of course, this wasn't a -- an accidental leak it doesn't happen in washington, they are called trial balloons, wanted to see the response they would get. we should be welcoming all of the president, the house, the senate to engage in a robust debate about securing our borders and about immigration. >> talk more about this as the morning continues. a coach sinks out an incredible half court shot. wheel explain what happened. and then quvenzhane wallis. learn how to pronounce that name, my friends. she has been nominated for an academy award. we'll ask her what she would be if she were not an actress, that, straight ahead.

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danica patrick will race in the top spot this sunday after winning the pole. does she have a better chance of winning? joe carter with the bleacher report. >> winning the pole at daytona means she'll start in the front row on sunday. gives any driver a great advantage, but doesn't mean the driver is guaranteed a win. last time the driver won the pole and the daytona 500 was 13 years ago. an historic moment for her, for women out there, and, of course, for the sport. jeff gordon saw what kind of buzz it created. that is gordon's daughter posing with danica. danica was asked that question

on cnn. what does this mean to young fans out there? >> one of the coolest things, to be able to think that parents and kids are having that conversation at home about it. i've heard stories about a kid, a little boy or girl saying, but mommy, daddy, that's a girl out there racing and then they can have that conversation to say, you can do anything you want to do. and gender doesn't matter. your passion is what matters and that's cool. >> all right. the nba's biggest event brought out big stars. diddy, king and queen. and spike lee never misses a game. a lot of dunks. d. wade and lebron james, off the back alley-oop. look how close lebron's head gets to the rim. total elevation. carmelo anthony dishing off lebron right here. very nice exchange. dunk. chris paul made the game's mvp. scored 20 point, dished out 15 assists. the west beat the east in a

close game. 143-13 8. lots of offense. tuition shoot-out is a friday night staple at brandon university in canada. make the half court shot and win a free semester of school. the athletic department gave participants the opportunity to ask anyone in the building to take the shot for them. one participant picked the men's basketball coach. the guy hit nothing but net. for all your entertaining sports news. go to bleacher report.com. who will pay taxes? the coach or the kid? >> the kid, the kids' parents. but the coach running around, that was awesome. thanks very much. she is up against the likes of jessica chastain and jennifer lawrence. so does quvenzhane wallis think she can walk away with an academy award?

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she's making oscar history, 9-year-old wallis in "beasts of the southern wild" tells the story of the father and her little girl trying to survive in the louisiana bayou. >> no crying.

>> quvenzhane wallis joins us this morning. is it hard for you to look at yourself on screen when they run clips of your movie? >> kind of because it's like something that i went through. it kind of makes me sad, but like i don't cry. so it's just like some scenes that's funny -- well, most of the scenes. it's just fun to see them. >> so you were 6 years old when you started shooting this movie? 5 when you tried out for it. >> yes. >> what was that like? tell me a little bit about that. >> for a kid my age, it was kind of like, why not? let's go. it was just something i wanted to try. so it just all went through. something i wanted to try. >> you tried, and you ended up being great at it. you're 9 years old now. what was it like to get word that you, in fact, had been nominated for an academy award? >> i was half asleep. so nothing reacted on the outside, but in the inside, i was doing cartwheels, back

flips, and these are some things i can't even do. >> but in your mind, you were doing them. that's amazing. at this stage already, are you trying to figure out what you're going to wear? what you wear to the oscars, obviously, you've been on the red carpet now a bunch of times. are people calling you saying, quvenzhane, wear my dress? my stylist is going to help you. >> my mom has that. >> your mom is all over it. >> yeah. >> so will your mom pick out what you wear or will you find a happy medium in between? >> she picks it, and i say if i like it. >> so you have the final say? >> yeah. >> so the story of "beasts of the southern wild" is a complicateded story. it was hard. what was the best thing about shooting it, and what was the toughest thing about shooting it? >> the best thing is playing on set. >> what do you mean? >> we get to play on set every single time. so we get to always play tag and stuff. and then the toughest part is

whenever it's nighttime, the mosquitoes and the scenes with mud in it, the mud. >> do you think that you really, really, really want to win this award? or do you think, as many people will tell me, well, it's just an honor to be nominated. it's good enough to be nominated. no one has ever said, i want to win. >> it's just not about winning. it's about being there and being nominated. it's not about trying to win the award. it's having the pride enough to be nominated and being in the history book and being nominated or just being nominated. everything is great, what you have. whatever you win, that's great too. >> what will you do next? are you in the middle of projects already? >> no. i finished three other films. >> three others? >> "bone shaker," "12 years of

slave," and a charity film. >> so you've got four films under your belt by fourth grade. that's a lot. do you see yourself continuing as an actress? is that your ultimate dream job? >> yes. but i also want to be a dentist. that let go of my acting. >> so you're going to be an actor who moon lights as a dentist in your free time? >> maybe, yeah. >> or maybe a dentist who moon lights as an actor in her free time? congratulations to you on your success so are fa. i'm going to be cheering and rooting for you to win even if you're not going to say it. i want you to win. great to have you. >> you too. >> oh, my god, she's so cute. i absolutely love her. >> late bedtime for the oscars? >> i bet she'll get to stay up. she's a lovely, grounded little girl. >> so smart. >> you know she's going to be a dentist and an actor for sure. still ahead, some new details to talk about in the murder investigation of the oscar pistorius case. we'll tell you what

investigators are now saying about this crime scene. it's really bizarre. also, a shock to the country music world. country star mindy mccready that's been found dead one month after her boyfriend's apparent suicide.

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to help you fine-tune your personal economy. call today and we'll make it easy to move that old 401(k) to a fidelity no-fee ira. welcome, everybody. starting point this morning. double whammy to your wallet. gas prices spike again. up 44 cents in the past month. is there any relief in sight? a potentially dangerous freeze in florida that could destroy crops. christine romans will break down both of these big stories for us this morning. new overnight, the man accused of slapping that little

toddler on a delta flight. he hears from his bosses. he's out. we're going to talk to the family and the couple's lawyer straight ahead. overnight, new information in the oscar pistorius investigation and what this new evidence could mean for the olympic icon at his hearing tomorrow. we'll go live to south africa. is a deadly new virus the next sars? what doctors are looking for. we'll tell you in a live report. it's monday, february 18th, presidents day. "starting point" begins right now. welcome, everybody. mary bono mack is with us. ron brownstein, director of national journal. richard socarides, writer for new yorker.com. john berman and christine romans stick around with us as well. two big stories we're following. they're both bad news if you want to hang on to your money. cold freeze threatening crops in the south.

gas prices up for the 32nd day in a row. while you were sleeping, the price of a gallon of unleaded regular rose 1.6 cents to a new national average which is $3.73 per gallon. what are you hearing from taxi drivers? they're the ones really getting gouged in many ways? >> reporter: absolutely, soledad. taxi drivers understandably upset. every time gas prices rise, they're literally watching their take home pay shrink before their very eyes. just to give you context, we're at a gas station on tenth avenue. regular gas, $4.15. premium $4.45. just to give you an idea how that compares to gas prices across the country, the average price of gasoline right now in the u.s. is $3.73. there are some states where those numbers are a lot higher. anybody in california, hawaii knows exactly what i'm talking about. in hawaii, gas prices are as high as $4.28. soledad? >> wow, what a big mess there in

california. mary bono mack, that's your state there that is really suffering. >> you don't get to complain about anything if you live in hawaii. >> that's not true. you should still complain about gas prices. we need to do something about the energy in our country. >> it's 4 degrees outside. quit complaining in hawaii. >> and you're paying $4.26 a gallon in the state of california. let's talk about what's happening at the grocery store. i'll be the purveyor of doom and gloom this morning when it comes to the citrus crop. jennifer delgado at the cnn weather center. the freeze is going to be a problem, isn't it? >> that's right. we are still following the temperatures across parts of florida. they have been below freezing. they're slowly starting to climb. temperatures in some of these locations have dropped down to 25 degrees. ocala, 27. jacksonville, 29. what does this mean? looks like it could potentially threaten florida's citrus crop. temperatures are going to remain below freezing through about 9:00 a.m. that's why we have the hard freeze warning in place for parts of central as well as northern florida. looks like by tomorrow we'll

certainly see a big improvement. just to give you an idea of how bad the situation can get, when you get temperatures below 28 degrees for more than four hours, that can be enough to damage that vegetation. keep in mind, florida provides 40% of the world's orange juice supply. soledad? >> that means a lot of people are going to be unhappy on the gas front and on the juice front we're in trouble. thanks, jennifer. appreciate it. let's get right to christine romans for more on this. >> it's so interesting because inflation is benign, everyone is telling you. when you take out food and energy, it's benign. when you take out food and energy, those are the things you feel the most and use the most. the paycheck to paycheck crowd is hurting. you have the payroll tax holiday. it's $20 or $30 every week out of your paycheck that's going right back to the payroll tax holiday. and gas is 20 cents higher today than it was a year ago. that is a tax you feel right every week. >> how has it risen 44 cents in the last 30-some-odd days? >> the economy is doing a little bit better. there's a little bit more, the

perception of more demand, global prices are rising. we also have this seasonal changeover that usually happens a little later on. you're seeing that move. refineries are going to start shutting down as they move onto the summer blends. this happens every single year. it's happening earlier every year. experts say it's happening at the same time the american economy is starting to slowly heal, and that's enough to really tip it over. and then you'll hear people talk about speculators. always hear people talk about how speculators drive it up a little faster and drive it down a little faster. >> does that mean we don't have the summer price increase we have every year, that it's starting earlier, or also have the additional summer price increase? >> i don't think it's going away any time soon. i think you're going to see it stuck up here at these kinds of levels. >> you're seeing gas above $4 earlier than i've ever seen it in the spring in the new york city area. people are complaining because they're paying more right now than they usually do for gas this time of year. and the paycheck to paycheck crowd is a crowd that really gets hurt the most. they've lost money from the

payroll tax holiday and now this. that's real money out of their pockets. >> while the debate in washington has flipped from deficits and debt, we still have a jobs and income crisis facing most of the country, much of the country. >> who says inflation is benign? >> you look at the overall cpi numbers, and it goes around like this. >> no one says the effect is benign. no. >> christine, thank you. john's got a look at some of the other stories making news this morning. >> thanks, soledad. new this morning, hazmat crews on the scene of a fire that broke out overnight at a recycling company in tampa, florida. officials say a pile of scrap metal caught fire, they don't know how. two workers did manage to get out safely. no one, thankfully, was hurt. she lived a troubled life, and she died a tragic death. country music singer mindy mccready found dead in her home from an apparent suicide. police do believe it was a self-inflicted gunshot wound to her head. the 37-year-old was found in the same spot where her boyfriend and the father of her youngest child apparently took his life

last month. hln's dr. drew pinsky, who knew mccready from her stint on celebrity rehab, said the outcome is tragic on many levels. >> there's a cautionary tale here about the stigma of mental illness and the way in which the public attacks celebrities who take care of themselves. she became so fearful of the stigma and the way people were responding to her being hospitalized, that she actually checked herself out prematurely, and now we have what we have. >> mccready leaves behind two sons 10 years old and just 9 months old. she struggled for a long, long time. big developments in the case of oscar pistorius. the runner from south africa charged with murdering his model girlfriend. reeva steenkamp was shot four times through the bathroom door of the home of oscar pistorius, and he carried her downstairs while she was still alive. we've also learned that pistorius has been forced to bow out of five races he was scheduled to participate in this year. you can see that one coming. the mother of slain chicago

teen hadiya pendleton is crusading for gun reform in a new television ad. >> when my daughter hadiya performed at the president's inauguration, it was the happiest day of her life. a week later she was murdered, gunned down near her school. >> in this ad, cleopatra pendleton urges congress to pass background checks. 15-year-old hadiya was gunned down days after president obama's inauguration. two men now face murder charges. history in nascar. danica patrick becoming the first woman driver to earn the pole position at daytona. really any other race on nascar's premiere sprint cup circuit. we talked to indy 500 rookie of the year in 1992, lyn st. james, about patrick's performance. >> it's great for women in all sports. not just women in racing, but it's one of the sports where men

and women actually compete equally. not many sports are like that. and it reflects society because women are making such inroads. we need reminders, if given the right opportunity, given the right equipment, given the right skill, opportunity, and support, that women are very capable. we need reminders of that. that's what she's doing. >> so danica patrick will share the front row at daytona with veteran driver jeff gordon. what i thought was the best picture of the weekend, jeff gordon's daughter, who knows a thing or two about racing, wanted her picture with danica patrick. >> forget you, dad. i want a picture with danica patrick. what a great message for the next generation of young women. i do think it transcends nascar. it's all about sort of opportunity. a new development for the men accused of hitting that little toddler on an airplane. we're going to talk to the lawyer for that boy's family. that's up next. and then play the story of a woman who was trying to do a good deed. she gave a bunch of change to a homeless man. but in the process, she emptied out her wallet and gave him her

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a passenger accused of slapping a toddler on an airplane is now out of the job. joe hundley is accused of calling the baby the "n" word and then smacking the kid. the parents of jonah hundley was crying as the plane was coming in because his ears were bothering him, and according to a federal complaint, hundley told jonah's mother, shut the baby up and used a racial slur. he allegedly slapped the baby near the eye with an open hand. here's the mom. >> i could not believe that he would say something like that to a baby or about a baby and then to hit him was just -- i felt

like i was in another world. >> they have charged him with assault of a minor. mr. hundley's attorney joins us now. you have heard he lost his job. i've had people say to me not enough that this would happen. what do you make of the latest development in this case? >> we heard friday, i believe it was, the company issued a statement that he'd been suspended, and then sunday, yesterday we learned that he'd been terminated. we're not sure what happened in the meantime other than a lot of bad publicity. i would have to agree with those who would say that's not enough. the family wants to make sure that mr. hundley and anyone like mr. hundley never does something like that again. >> we've heard the mom in various interviews talking about how mr. hundley was drunk and kind of ended up sprawling over her to get to her son, said the "n" word, and i believe she asked him to repeat it because she was so shocked.

what happened then? >> she was in complete disbelief. he then essentially fell over on her, kind of sloppy drunk. his head hit her cheek, and then his face kind of slid down towards her ear and directly into her ear, he repeated the racial epithet, at which time jessica basically pushed him back upright so that he wasn't leaning on her anymore, and that's the time that he lashed out and slapped jonah. >> oh, my goodness. >> you kind of wondered if there was alcohol involved. >> well, she's described him as being very, very drunk. >> there was alcohol involved from before the flight even started, unfortunately. jessica noticed the -- >> what did other people on the plane do? >> well, they heard the words, and several of them stood up.

apparently, one gentleman from 12 rows in front started walking back towards them, and unfortunately, no one got close enough to prevent the slap, but immediately after the slap, apparently, a rather large gentleman assisted jessica to his seat, gave her his seat, and then he sat down next to mr. hundley, as i understand, for the last few minutes of the flight. >> he's like try that. we'll see what happens if you smack me. let me ask you a question. the fbi assault charges that he faces now, would that bring prison time potentially? >> yes. because it was a minor that was assaulted, he could serve up to one year in prison, according to the statute that they charged him with. >> would the parents want to pursue any kind of legal avenue themselves, some kind of using you to file some civil charges in some way? >> we're investigating sort of

the full -- trying to get a full understanding of what happened before he even got on the plane until after he left. we understand he hasn't even been arrested yet. so no decision like that has been made, but i'm sure that they want to see mr. hundley punished so that he understands that this is not acceptable in today's society. >> let me ask you about the couple before i let you go. are they freaked out about flying again with a toddler? which is already stressful. do they just feel like, as white parents to a black whild who they've adopted, they feel like this is a conversation they're suddenly having that they weren't prepared to have maybe? >> they were talking about how they felt they might ultimately, obviously, have to deal with this race issue and talk to jonah and so on. the thing that's completely thrown them for a loop is they're having to deal with this

at such a young age that somebody would actually directly make a racist comment to him at such a young age. they're really having a hard time getting their arms around that issue. >> my goodness. john thompson is a lawyer for jonah's mom and dad. thanks for talking with us this morning. we appreciate it. >> thank you. >> you bet. >> you can forget resumes. your next interview could be on twitter. can you imagine? lordy. new age of job hunting. 140 characters or less. tell me why you want this job. and the cruise ship disaster gets the snl treatment. we'll tell you why reading a newspaper was probably the worst thing that passengers could do. geico's emergency roadside assistance is there 24/7. oh dear, i got a flat tire. hmmm. uh... yeah, can you find a take where it's a bit more dramatic on that last line, yeah? yeah i got it right here. someone help me!!! i have a flat tire!!!

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welcome back. smart is the new rich. >> lincoln. >> bill clinton. >> that's why stocks are closed because we're honoring presidents today. markets still on a tear. s&p 500 up nearly 10% over the past three months. a lot of important economic data this week. maybe it will drive it, maybe not. two readings on the housing market plus consumer and producer prices. more squeezing from the dreaded sequester. some 2.1 million federal workers are now facing furloughs, unpaid days off. a controller for the office of management and budget told a senate panel last week won't happen until after march 1st. that's when the massive spending cuts again if congress doesn't act. federal employees have to get 30 days notice before any furloughs

and unions that represent those workers have a big part in determining how and when the furloughs happen. 2.1 million people not having potential spending, a big deal for the economy. forget the suit. your next job interview could be on twitter. a twitter-view is a new service that tech, media, and marketing companies are using to find potential employees. employees tweet out a question, and you tweet back an answer in 140 characters or less. you can even go off the record for more personal or private tweets to try to get the job. obviously, this is mostly social media, tech, marketing kinds of jobs. some of these are high paying jobs. get rid of the traditional interview, trying to find people. >> cleverness. tech cleverness. >> what do you get out of 140 characters? >> you need to find people who make money in 140 characters or less. >> my 9-year-old knows how to tweet. what does that prove? >> child labor laws. >> trending on cnn this morning, beyonce fans getting an intimate

look at the superstar in an hbo special. her daughter stole the show. "life is but a dream" featured 19 month blue ivy carter. beyonce opened up about being a mom, her previous miscarriage, and why she fired her father as a manager. also spoofing the carnival crew disaster. two crew members attempting to entertain the sea weary passengers. here's a little on how it went. >> a couple of flight crews dropped down a couple papers. thought we'd catch you up on what it means this week. >> there ain't no god! >> there is a god. he has not abandoned us. okay? let's see what's in the news. the pope resigned. oh, lord. >> okay. still ahead on "starting point," president obama's immigration plan leaks over the weekend. lots of republicans on capitol hill are not happy about it. is a bipartisan proposal dead in the water as some have now said? we're going to break it down in

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welcome back, everybody. update on a dangerous new virus. world health organization says a coronavirus in the united kingdom is bringing the number of known cases to 12. potentially fatal sars-like virus. experts wouldn't be surprised if it shows up in the united states. elizabeth cohen has more on how deadly this virus is. walk us through the coronavirus and how does it appear in people? >> soledad, it's called the coronavirus because, when you look at it like those images we just saw, it has sort of a crown around it. coronavirus can cause anything from the common cold to sars, as you mentioned, and now they're seeing what they're calling a

novel coronavirus. sometimes it doesn't cause too much trouble, but it can be very deadly. out of the 12 people who have gotten it, five have died. it can cause kidney damage and kidney failure and also cause pneumonia. the bad news about this virus. the good news, if you want to call it that, it is hard to catch. it is not like the flu. we're not seeing it going from person to person to person to person. the only suspected human to human transmission is when people are living in the same household. soledad? >> how are people getting it? >> it's thought that people are getting it from animals, and there's some thought it's specifically from bats. we're not sure. there's only a couple of cases where they even suspect human to human transmission. it's not the kind of thing where you sit next to the guy on the plane and you get sick from him. that's not what they're seeing. what they're seeing is it's actually going within households. >> elizabeth cohen, thank you for that.

i sat next to someone on a plane who was sick, and i got swine flu that year. glad to know it can't be transmitted that way. a passenger has been charged with trying to board an airplane with a loaded gun. this happened at newark international airport sunday morning. port authority police arrested the 59-year-old pennsylvania man shortly after 6:00 a.m. inside terminal "c." officials say robert kellerman told them he forgot the .22 caliber gun was even inside his handbag. he was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon. so the man behind the bombing of the world trade center in 1993 is asking for a break in prison. ramzi youssef is serving a life sentence in a federal lockup in colorado. his ability to communicate with the outside world is restricted. now his lawyer says that yousef should no longer be considered a threat to national security, and those restrictions should be lifted. he wants to be able to communicate more in prison. >> yeah, we'll take your word for it.

>> his lawyer's got a tough job, i would guess. some sciences in here. mapping the human brain. "the new york times" reporting the obama administration is reporting a decade long scientific effort to unlock the mysteries of the human brain and build a comprehensive map of its activity. this will do for the brain what the human genome project did for genetics. it could launch the brain mapping project as early as next month. >> an attempt to map the republican brain. >> rebuttal. >> we're trying to map the republican brain. i'm sorry. >> they're trying to map their own brain. >> we're going to map some more news here. two of the most outspoken republican critics of defense secretary nominee chuck hagel now say they will no longer hold up his senate confirmation. senator john mccain of arizona and senator lindsey graham of south carolina both saying they'll back off. republican senator john barrasso of wyoming insisting holding up the vote wasn't a political

ploy. >> i have grave reservations. i think he's been wrong about iran, wrong with israel, wrong in iraq, wrong with nuclear weapons. absolutely, i plan to vote against him. >> another vote is set for a week from tomorrow. hagel, at the end of all this, is expected to win confirmation. we keep showing this because it's just that awesome. nothing but net. the head basketball coach at canada's brandon university, gil chong, sank this half-court shot. and because of it, one lucky student got a semester's free tuition. the student was allowed to take anyone to take the shot for him. he chose wisely. rather than pick the player, he picked the coach. he gets a semester free. good for all of them. >> love he does the run around. undocumented immigrants could get an eight-year pathway to citizenship under a plan the president is reportedly drafting. the details were linked to "usa today." senator marco rubio immediately said the plan would be dead on

arrival, and his fellow republicans weren't all that impressed either. >> leaking this out puts things in the wrong direction. >> this is the president torpedoing his own plan and shows me he's not serious. >> does the president want results or another thing to beat up republicans? >> let's get right to politics to the macks. congresswoman mary bono mack and connie mack joining us. were the attacks we've seen from the right on this? >> i think it plays into the fears, i would say, that republicans have that there's been a lot of good movement on this bipartisan group coming out of the senate, and there's a feeling on the right that the president wants to keep this issue around long enough to use it to continue to beat up republicans. i think that's what all of the

people you had on the interview there talked to. >> consistently, people say the president doesn't show leadership. he's got to do something. we want to hear from the president on this issue and a bunch of other issues too. when finally this leak -- which i don't think was a leak, but an e-mailed doum. >> faucet. >> i think it's good we should see what the president's ideas are on this. we have been saying as republicans, where's your plan on a whole host of things? >> exactly. >> i'm all for a robust debate on this. >> mary? >> look, bipartisanship takes trust from both sides. there is no trust in washington, d.c., any longer from either side. i have a theory the heads of both political parties, the dccc, the nrcc shouldn't be seating members of congress, but there's no trust. this plays right into that. if ever there was an issue that everybody should come together. too bad the president was out there playing golf with marco rubio and tiger. >> if you're drafting a bipartisan compromise, why isn't

it to your advantage if you're john mccain to have president obama staking out a position to your left so, when you come along and say there should be conditionality to granting a pathway to citizenship, you can say you forced the president move from where he was. why doesn't this help them? >> i agree. i think it is helpful. you can't get to a solution if you don't put everything out on the table. the president has a plan. instead of floating it or having this leak, he should have came to the american people. >> it shouldn't need to be leaked. >> he should have came to the american people and done a press conference and talked about it. >> does the level of outrage meet the level of infraction, or did it exceed it? it seemed they were awfully mad and couldn't figure out why. >> a little bit of this is show from everyone, including the president's side. let's get away from all of that. let's go back to the idea that the president has a plan now that he has put out there. a bipartisan group in the senate has a plan they put out there. that's a good place to be. >> the republicans played right into the president's hands on

this one. he put this plan out there obviously to let the base know that he was thinking about them and about these issues, and the republicans were outraged. the republicans want to seem like they're more reasonable, they're conciliatory, they can make a deal. yesterday they've seen the opposite of what they want to see. >> we can make a deal with you guys any day. >> you were in a classic district whose demography was changing, which is why the democrat won the seat. but 80% of republicans are in districts that are more white than the national average. do they have the incentive to get this off the table for the party? >> what do they really gain? isn't that the question we asked this morning talking to the congressman from texas, we may not get anything out of doing a deal. >> he didn't seem like he was enthusiastic about going down this road. >> again, it depends on leadership out of the white house and leadership out of people, even like marco rubio. how willing are they to come forward and work together? again, this trust thing -- really, i think the american people would be astonished if

they knew how little trust existed between the two parties, and we have to work together like this. >> do you think john boehner wants a bill that gets this off the table before 2016? >> i think john boehner wants a bill that does good. call me silly and altruistic, but john boehner -- >> does that include a pathway to citizenship? >> yes, it could. it depends -- it's amazing how language really matters in these bills and what is really said. starting off the way the president did with this leak doesn't help. connie is a classic. he loves the theater of politics, and you're right. this is a good way to move a bill. come out farther to the left. make the room on the right. but in this case, start with that trust. i said it jokingly, but the president should be out there playing golf with marco rubio and having a conversation and show the intent. >> if it's not resolved by 2016, what are the implications that have? >> i would say this, it needs to be resolved. and not, yes, it needs to be resolved because of politics, but it needs to be resolved

because we have some important issues around immigration. we need to secure our borders north and south, and we have to do something about the people who are here illegally. it's a national security issue. >> but often, these things are resolved because of politics as much as anything else. >> of course it's politics. these are important issues we have to solve. solve it now. there's nothing new on the table, right? the president didn't come up with anything new. >> 2007. >> the republicans and the democrats in the senate didn't come up with anything new. there's no new information coming out. put a package together. put it on the floor. allow a vote. >> the conventional wisdom on republicans, not necessarily big gains politically from doing it, but allowing it to still be there in 2016 could mean big losses. >> this is a larger package than just this. there is a big republican up there. >> the republican party is never going to win another presidential election unless they can demonstrate they're more sympathetic to people who

are concerned about immigration. this is your -- >> possibly true. >> i don't know that's true. >> absolutely true. >> i think that possibly is true. still ahead, here's a question for you. is rihanna just like princess di? one sunday magazine is comparing the reigning princess of pop to the beloved royal. and she lost her engagement ring while giving change to a homeless man. the one thing that 99 percent of investors can expect to find in their portfolio, is unexpected risk. bny mellon has the vision and experience to help. we look at the full picture... to uncover risk, find opportunities,

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welcome back, everybody. rihanna compared to princess di. that's the hook of a new article. it says that rihanna's love affair with the camera and the way she manipulates herself-image along with isolation and defiant behavior seem to draw parallels with the princess. here's a quote. "rehannah is in love with the camera and the camera is in love with her. not since diana rocketed from a shy kindergarten aide to a lean, mean fashion machine has there been such a ravishingly

seductive flirtation with the world press." >> camille paglia, she's good at creating big sweeping, controversial decisions. seems like a bit of a reach. >> it seems like a huge reach. i didn't really see the connection between the two. >> it's not even computing in my head. i don't really understand. >> a life through photographs showing her moods and emotions. there was nothing there that was princess diana, which was the goodness in princess diana, the compare ta charitable work she had done. women grow up and dream of being a princess, and then she was, and it was such a tragic life. >> manipulating the press is your currency. that's the point of the article. and it doesn't matter what's underneath. that's the argument. >> but she is beautiful. >> it's hard to know what the point was trying to be made. >> they're both beautiful. we all agree on that.

>> i think the point is all fame is the same. doesn't matter what you're famous for. >> i would love to see ron brownstein talk about culture. >> i did live in l.a. for a while. i got a taste of that. >> you didn't have the stuff. >> still ahead on "starting point," amazing case of paying it forward. a woman loses her engagement ring. she actually accidentally handed it off as she was giving change to a homeless guy. she was able to find him and get her ring back. nestly loved smok, and i honestly didn't think i would ever quit. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. it put me at ease that you could smoke on the first week. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away.

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welcome back to "starting point," everyone. former south carolina governor mark sanford has just released his first campaign ad, and in it he talks about the controversy that derailed his marriage and political life in 2009. >> i realize that no one goes through life without mistakes. in that, we can learn about grace, a god of second chances, and being better for it. >> he made headlines for admitting he was involved in an extramarital affair with a woman from argentina. he and his wife divorced a year later. >> he married that woman, yes? >> i know they were engaged. i'm not sure if they married. there were plans at that point. >> are you on the list? >> i'm hoping i'm invited because it's going to be one hell of a wedding. a bomber jacket worn by president john f. kennedy has sold at auction for $570,000. this is part of a huge lot of kennedy memorabilia that belonged to the late david powers, a close personal friend and former aide and assistant to

jfk. the idea of the winning bidder has not been revealed. intrigue. >> wear it? >> i would touch that. frame it. >> this is a great story, ron. denver international airport trying to cope with the attack of the bunny rabbits. hundreds and hundreds of rabbits doing thousands of dollars worth of damage to parked cars at the airport. they like to hide under warm engines. soledad is nodding her head. she knows about this. and they love to chew on ignition cables. >> they ate through my prius. >> officials are hoping that granulated coyote urine will help drive the rabbits out. >> where did it happen to you? >> upstate where you have a car, the warm engine, all the little animals huddle in there, and they eat their way through the wiring in your car. >> after that, did you start carrying coyote urine in your car? >> i had no idea that was an option, and i'm going to get some of that right away. i don't know where that comes from, but i'm going to find one. >> i know where. i want to tell you this story of a woman in kansas city.

she was heading home from work and stopped to give a homeless man some money. in the process, though, she accidentally dropped her engagement ring in his cup. she didn't realize her mistake until the next day. 24 hours later she was able to track down the man, billy harris, and he still had the ring. listen. >> i'm so grateful. >> i could tell exactly how much it meant to you the moment i held it up like that. >> sarah darling is in kansas city this morning for more. hi, sarah. congratulations. what great news for you. walk me through how you handed off your engagement ring and it ended up in his donation cup. >> yeah, actually, it's ironic because i never really take my rings off, but because of that, i ended up with a little rash, like a wedding ring rash. i was at work that day, and i took off my rings and put them in my coin purse and zipped them up. i felt like they would be safe

there because it was zipped up. i have a lot going on. i have two jobs and a baby, and i just was a little flustered, and i saw him on the plaza, and i just emptied out my change into his cup, and i forgot that my rings are in there, and i didn't actually realize it. >> when did you realize that, in fact, in that change purse part was your ring? and what did your husband say? >> oh, my gosh. yeah, we were headed out of town the next day, actually. we were headed to arkansas to visit some friends, and i realized it when we were about an hour on the way out of town, and i said, oh, we need to turn around. i realized that my band was in there, but the engagement ring was gone. and about 30 seconds later, it occurred to me what happened. so we turned right back around and went there. but unfortunately, he wasn't there. >> oh, mied gooness. you must have freaked out. what did you do? >> it was horrible.

it was such a feeling of loss because this ring was so special to me because my husband had picked it out for me and proposed to me, and it was all a surprise, and it meant so much to me just beyond the financial value. unfortunately, it wasn't insured. so i was really struggling that evening. but i kept a little shred of hope i'd be able to find him. sure enough, i went back the next day, sunday afternoon, almost 48 hours after i had initially given him the ring, and sure enough, he was there. >> did he recognize you right away and say i have your ring? >> well, i asked him, i was like, i don't know if you remember me, but i think i gave you something that's very precious to me. >> and he says, was it a ring? yeah, i have it. i kept it for you. but he didn't actually have it on him. he had it -- he said, it's in my other jacket, and he asked me if i wanted to take him to where it was, go for a drive.

so i knew i could trust him. i could just tell. however, i knew it was against my better judgment to get in the car with a stranger. so i first went home and got my husband and went back down and got him. we drove him to where the ring was. it was stashed under a bridge here off of brush creek down in our city, and it was stashed there in what he said was his emergency spot. >> oh, my goodness. >> and he gave it right back. >> so tell me a little bit about billy ray harris. the ring is valuable. he didn't sell it. he didn't lose it. i know you're trying to help him out. what are you doing for him? >> yeah. and i really hope at the end of the day that my snafu just helps this person, maybe start a new life for him. it's really amazing because he had it for 48 hours, and i feel like even people who were in a

lesser needs situation may not have given it back. he was actually offered thousands of dollars on the spot for it, and he turned that down. it's so amazing to me. so i really just hope that my kind of flightiness in that moment leads to something really good for him. so my husband actually started a give forward site for him. it's giveforward/billy ray. yesterday we raised almost $4,000 for him already for that. >> that's great. i want to give everybody the url first, sarah. so it's giveforward.com/billyray. one word. anyone who wants to donate inform his cause and help him out for doing such a great thing for you can be part of it. you seem very anxious still. has it just not sunk in? like the ring is back. it's okay. >> actually, i don't know why. it seems like that probably

because i'm on tv. i just feel so lucky. and i actually feel like i'm -- especially lucky to have this ring now. i loved it before. i loved it so much. but i love it so much more now. i feel like it has such great karma. and i feel so lucky to have it on my finger. >> it really does. good for you. congratulations. >> where it will probably stay. >> and don't take it off. rash or not, keep that finger on your ring. sarah darling, thanks for talking with us this morning. we encourage everybody to check out the website. thanks, sarah. we've got to take a short break.

all right that's a fifth-floor problem... ok. not in my house! ha ha ha! ha ha ha!

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it's time for "end point." why don't you start for us, congresswoman? >> i'm so excited for danica patrick. it's going to be a great day. i'm not a huge nascar fan, but i will be now. >> i'm excited to watch it with my daughters. it's a great message for them. >> she's 5'2", and she's a dynamite, incredibly strong m y woman. it's a great story. >> and she looked great doing it. she did. she's beautiful. >> when have you ever said that about any guy at nascar ever? come on. >> other than what i've learned about coyote urine this morning. >> granulated. >> i would say that we're discussing immigration. that ad on gun control, what a difference a re-election makes. these are issues we have not talked about for years, and now they're front and center in our national debate. >> big thing is front and center, but what happens down the road? looking a year or two years out, do we actually resolve something? >> when you're out of the discussion, you know what's going to happen, nothing. now that they're i